Master, Servant and Companion
by Alpha Draconis1
Summary: A one-shot dedicated to Reki and his thoughts in the aftermath of the Twilight Incident.


This is a one-shot fanfic, its plot taking place just after the Twilight Bracelet involving Shugo, Rena, and the rest.  
  
Disclaimer: I have no legal connection to "The World" but since the .hackers aren't legal either. . .  
  
Master, Servant, and Companion  
  
"Alright, place it over there. That's good. You, move that tree over there, please. Mark it for a connection to the monster programs."  
  
Reki smiled to himself as he finished orientating the maintenance crews. With Balmung intent on creating his own events, Reki was the one left to manage the task of tying up all the loose ends.  
  
"Mark that area for an exit vector. Place the entrance from the Chaos Gate here. Good. We just might be finished today."  
  
'Lord Balmung would be pleased.' he thought to himself. The thought didn't bother him as much as it used to. Although he had initially found his former boss to be aggravating, the recent events had made him aware of just how much Reki admired the charismatic descendant of Fionna.  
  
It wasn't as disturbing as it should have been. After playing second fiddle to Balmung, and then Kamui, Reki had become used to change, as the situation demanded it. And Balmung used to demand it of him all the time. It was both aggravating and attractive to Reki, who had managed to keep his loyalty to both of them.  
  
He had once been tempted to start a relationship with silver haired warrior, but had decided to keep his peace once he realized that it would jeopardize their mission to save "The World". It was all right for Reki, who preferred the quieter life even as he admired Balmung's wilder ways; to hide behind the curtain and watch the main actors take the stage.  
  
'I wonder how Lord Balmung is doing right now?' he thought to himself. Since the incident involving "The World", the descendant of Fionna had become entangled in a love web with the heavy blader Rena, the pompous (in Reki's opinion) Komiyan III, and strangely enough, Rena's brother Shugo. While Rena had shown no interest for Komiyan, Reki could see that it was a losing battle for Balmung as Rena apparently cared more for her brother than for her crush.  
  
'Maybe it would pass over soon.' Reki thought and wished Balmung luck, just in case. 'Lady Kamui would be amused to know how this turned out for them.'  
  
'Speaking of the Lady. . .' Reki paused, musing what information he had manage to acquire recently of his former "girlfriend". Kamui still led the Cobalt Knights, though she wasn't as cold as she once was, even befriending Zelphie and Shugo. She still had a lone wolf personality though, and seldom could be seen taking a break from her duties. Her own assistant was as busy as ever, and sometimes Reki felt sorry for the girl, as Kamui was a strict master.  
  
'It's not any of my concerns, however.' He thought as the last of the details were put in place in the field he had been managing. He nodded to the staff as they warped out one by one, probably to log out and rest. Reki wasn't about to that, though.  
  
For while Reki had not pursued a relationship with Balmung, and declined one with Kamui, that did not mean that he had given up on one altogether. Indeed, soon after the "The World" incident, Reki had managed to find a companion in an unlikely source. A quiet master who treated servants as friends instead of, well, servants. That quality was what had drawn Reki in, though it had also hidden his sight from her in the first place. If it weren't for the trouble that she had gotten herself into, making his aid a necessity, he would not have noticed her at all.  
  
Gating quietly out of the field, he entered another, completely secret to everyone except the two of them. 'Well, not everyone.' he admitted, remembering that the girl in white, 'Aura, Lord Balmung called her Aura', probably knew of this field. If she did, the AI did nothing to disturb them, and Reki found some measure of comfort that he had the AI's blessing to continue using the field. He had created it himself, spending several hours with it at a time, barely avoiding being missed by the administration.  
  
'But it had been worth it.' he relished, surveying the scenery before him. In a field free of monsters, blue flowers extended as far as the eye could see, while a lake was visible at one side, and a cool breeze blew softly through. But for all its beauty, Reki found that a couple of details were missing from the supposed perfection.  
  
A soft grunt came from his feet and Reki bent over to see the little Grunty that had nudged him. He knew whom it belonged to so he didn't hesitate to lift it up and carry it like a newborn babe. The owner's voice came from behind him, though he already knew she would be there.  
  
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting." the soft voice said.  
  
"That's all right. I wasn't waiting long." He replied, turning around to face the young, blue-eyed girl that had spoken to him. "Hotaru."  
  
Taking a step forward, he enveloped the girl in his arms, the Grunty nestled between them, and knew that he had found his master, servant, and companion at last.  
  
The End  
  
Author's Notes  
  
A lot of you are probably asking why I paired up Hotaru and Reki. In truth, this was a spur of the moment fanfic, created during a rare time of inspiration and capability (many times I'm too busy with studies to read fanfics, much less write them). I just watched .hackLegend of the Twilight Bracelet. It got me to thinking about how Reki might end up and who he might end up with (Balmung, Kamui, Magi, etc.), but I didn't really think of the pairing until I surfed the net and found the characters' seiyuus to be Hoshi Souichirou and Kawasumi Ayako, otherwise known for their work as Kaoru and Aoi in Ai Yori Aoshi.  
  
Once I read and realized that, the idea hit me and just would not get out of my head. It wasn't too farfetched, after all, Reki and Hotaru's personalities are similar enough that they would be compatible yet differ enough to be actually interesting. As far as I know, this is the first fanfic dedicated to this pairing.  
  
I'd be glad to answer any more questions via email. Until then, comments are greatly appreciated. 


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